SS Meteor
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| Meteor (Whaleback carrier) | |
|---|---|
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
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| Location: | Superior, WI |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Built/Founded: | 1896 |
| Architect: | American Steel Barge Company; McDougall,Alexander |
| Architectural style(s): | Other |
| Added to NRHP: | September 9, 1974 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 74000081 [1] |
| Governing body: | Local |
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SS Meteor is the sole surviving ship of the unconventional "whaleback" design. The design, created by Scottish captain Alexander McDougall (1845-1923), enabled her to carry a maximum amount of cargo with a minimum of draft. Whalebacks were also called "pig boats", among other names, due to their appearance. The Meteor was built in 1896 in Superior, Wisconsin and, with a number of modifications, sailed until 1969. She is currently a museum ship in the city of her birth.
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[edit] History
The Meteor was built by the American Steel Barge Company (ASB) at their yard in Superior, Wisconsin in the summer of 1896 as the Frank Rockefeller; number 36 of 44 whalebacks built between 1888 and 1898. McDougall's expense records listed the cost of construction of the Frank Rockefeller as $181,573.38.[2]
She was built for the ASB fleet and joined their barges and steamers in the movement of iron ore from Lake Superior ports down to the steel mills of Lake Erie and coal back up the lakes. She would also carry the odd loads of grain. As a steamer, she would often tow one or more of the company's "consort" barges to augment her carrying capacity. In 1900, along with the rest of the ASB fleet, she was sold to the Bessemer Steamship Company, marine division of the Bessemer Steel Company. A year later, she again changed hands along with the whole of the Bessemer Fleet when it joined with 7 other fleets to form the massive, 112 boat Pittsburgh Steamship Company, marine division of the equally massive US Steel. She sailed as a "Tin Stacker" (so called because of the silver painted funnels) from the beginning in 1901 until 1927.
That year, she was sold for use as a sand dredge and renamed South Park. As a dredge, she was used to obtain fill for the site of the Chicago World's Fair in 1933. In 1936, she changed hands again and became an auto carrier. She sailed for several years under this new guise, hauling new autos from Detroit, Milwaukee and Kewaunee until 1942. She was wrecked off Manistique that year. Had it not been for the great demand for tonnage in World War II, she would have been scrapped. Instead, she was sold to the Cleveland Tanker Company, and converted to a tanker. It was at this time that she obtained the name Meteor, as Cleveland Tanker named their vessels after celestial bodies. As a tanker, she hauled gasoline and other liquids for over 25 years.
In 1969, the Meteor was the last of the whalebacks left out of 43. That season, she ran aground off Marquette. Cleveland Tankers chose not to repair the 63 year old steamer, although damage was minor. After laying idle for several seasons, she was bought and taken to Superior for use as a museum in 1971. She was berthed at Barkers Island where she remains.
The Meteor is the last extant example of an experimental class of lakers, other than wrecks such as the Thomas Wilson and the barge Sagamore, a favorite divesite in Whitefish Bay. However, the Meteor is at present poorly maintained; her hull is rusting and the interiors are in serious disrepair. Due to her condition, she was named one of the 10 most endangered historical properties by the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation.[3]
[edit] Description
The Meteor is 380 feet long overall with a 366-foot keel. Other dimensions include a beam of 45 feet and a depth of 26 feet.[4]
She and the other whalebacks, except one, were the first major boats on the Great Lakes with all accommodations aft and only a small room for the anchor windlass up at the bow. The John Ericsson was the only whaleback with the pilothouse at the bow. The Ericsson was also one of the last whalebacks on the lakes with the Meteor; she sailed on the Canadian side until 1964 when she was sold to the City of Hamilton, Ontario for use as a museum. The plan failed however and the Ericsson was scrapped in 1969. The Meteor is a relic of the early days of steam transportation on the lakes with many original fixtures, such as engine and wheel.
[edit] References
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
- ^ Alexander McDougall biography page. Superior Public Museum. Retrieved on August 17, 2007.
- ^ 2004 Most Endangered Site. Wisconsin Trust For Historic Preservation site. Retrieved on August 18, 2007.
- ^ Search for name "meteor" and city "Superior". Historical Collections of the Great Lakes site. Retrieved on August 18, 2007.
